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The following lists events that happened during 1923 in South Africa.
Incumbents
- Monarch: King George V.
- Governor-General and High Commissioner for Southern Africa:
- Prince Arthur of Connaught (until 5 December).
- Sir James Rose Innes (acting, from 5 December).
- Prime Minister: Jan Smuts.
- Chief Justice: Sir James Rose Innes.
Events
;March
- 1 – The Electricity Supply Commission (Eskom), largest electricity producer in Africa, is established.
;Unknown date
- The South African Native National Congress changes its name to African National Congress.
Births
- 10 April – John Watkins, cricketer (d. 2021)
- 30 April – Francis Tucker, rally Driver. (d. 2008)
- 19 May – Johannes Meintjes, artist and writer. (d. 1980)
- 6 August – Moira Lister, South African-born English film, stage and television actress. (d. 2007)
- 5 October – Glynis Johns, South African-born Welsh actress. (d. 2024)
- 11 October – Moses Mabhida, anti-apartheid activist. (d. 1986)
- 11 November – Pieter van der Byl, politician (d. 1999)
- 20 November – Nadine Gordimer, writer and political activist. (d. 2014)
- 17 December – Wilton Mkwayi, anti-apartheid activist. (d. 2004)
Deaths
- 10 October – Herman Gottfried Breijer, Dutch-born South African naturalist
Railways
thumb|[[South African Class GK 2-6-2+2-6-2|Class GK]]
thumb|[[South African Dutton road-rail tractors|Road-rail tractor prototype]]
thumb|[[South African gas-electric locomotive|Gas-electric locomotive]]
Railway lines opened
- 12 April – Transvaal – Dunswart to Apex deviation, .
- 21 May – Natal – Queen's Bridge to Duff's Road deviation, .
- Major Frank Dutton, SAR Signal Engineer and the Motor Transport Superintendent, conducts trials with a prototype petrol-paraffin powered Dutton road-rail tractor.
- Mr. C. Lawson, Superintendent Mechanical of the SAR, experiments with gas-electric motive power and constructs a single experimental producer gas-electric locomotive. The locomotive remains in service for several years but the gas-electric concept will eventually be superseded by diesel-electric traction.